Tens of thousands march against Georgia's government as local election snubbed by opposition held

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Police in Georgia used water cannons and pepper spray on Saturday to push back protesters who tried to storm the presidential palace, as the South Caucasus country held a municipal election boycotted by the main opposition blocs amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Tens of thousands rallied in the capital, Tbilisi, to protest repressive policies by the governing party, Georgian Dream, which they see as trying to pull Georgia away from its democratic aspirations and into Russia’s orbit.